Numismatics International Bulletin, Vol. 29, No.4

29 years of service to numismatics

Volume 29 Number 4 ISSN: 0197-3088 Price .... Two Dollars

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURE ARTICLES

The Battle of Santander, 1937, by Peter S. Horvitz 87

The Pasco Mint and Some Counterfeit Coins, by Horace P. Flatt 78

DEPARTMENTS

Book News & Reviews 91

From the Mailbox 77

INSIDE N.I.

From the Editor’s Desk 76

Librarian’s Report 75

Member Notice Page 76

Membership Chairman’s Report 75

NI Attribution Service 76

OTHER ITEMS

Arrow Head Money 96

"Dagger Money" 88

"Finkenauge or Vinkenauge" 96

"League Coinage" 90

The Use of Lead in Coinage 88

Usualmark - 86

Copyrighted by Numismatics International, P.O. Box 670013, Dallas, Texas USA 75367-0013

APRIL 1994

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

DR. HOWARD L. FORD

Chairman & Past-President

JOHN E. VANDIGRIFF

President

PHILIP BRANDENBURG
Vice-President

ROSS SCHRAEDER DON DOUGLAS

Secretary Treasurer

214-995-4921 D
214-237-4347 N

CRAIG BURRUS
At-Large Director

WALTER W. LEONARD

At-Large Director

WILLIAM E. BENSON
JACK E. LEWIS
ELMORE B. SCOTT

MARVIN L. FRALEY
CHARLES MUCHMORE
WILLIAM B. THOMPSON
Past-Presidents

PHILIP LAWRENCE
ROBERT W. RICHTER
CARL YOUNG

APPOINTED STAFF

Curator, NI REFERENCE COLLECTION
Philip L. Lawrence

Curator, JOHN GRAVES MEMORIAL

PAPER MONEY COLLECTION
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Editor, NI BULLETIN
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Book News & Reviews Editor

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Phone 301-530-5400

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Correspondence should be directed to those persons and addresses above for departments indicated. All other correspondence
should be mailed direct to NUMISMATICS INTERNATIONAL, P. O. BOX 670013, DALLAS, TEXAS 75367-0013.

MEMBERSHIP FEES: Individual & Club Memberships - $15.00 Annually. Junior Membership (18 years of age and under) -
$10.00 Annually. Senior Membership (70 years of age and older) - $10.00 Annually.

74

INSIDE N.I

MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

April, 1994 Applications for Membership: The following persons have applied for
membership. If no written objections are received by June 1, 1994, their membership
will become effective on that date.

2435 Richard P. Eidswick, 3964 Penberton Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105

(Japanese Coins)

2436 John F. Peavy, 82 Leonard St., Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Life Memberships: Life Memberships are available to members of three years

standing upon application to the Board of Governors and the payment of the $200.00
fee. Conditional Life Membership is available upon payment of $60.00 down and
four quarterly payments of $35.00.

LIBRARIAN’S REPORT

I. Acknowledgement is made below to those who have donated material to the NI
Library.

Krause Publications

CC83.KraC:1993:WCEC

KRAUSE, CHESTER L./MISHLER, CLIFFORD/BRUCE, COLIN R. Ill
Editor

Standard Catalog of World Coins. Eighteenth Century 1701-1800.
Pub. 1993, 1008pp, illus.

Unknown Sources

JD10.CasC:1978:MEDPJC

CASTAN, CARLOS/CAYON, JUAN R.

Los monedas Espanolas desde Don Pelayo a Juan Carlos I anos 718
a 1979.

Pub. 1979, 1165pp, illus.

AA8O.BDC0: 1986:MOSE
B & D COINS

Check list of coins commemorating modern Olympics and other world
sporting events.

Pub. 1986, 42pp, not illus.

75

CC70.BDCo: 1986:CDS
B & D COINS

Check list of coins denoting ships.

Pub. 1986, 31pp, not illus.

U. While I strongly believe that enticing new collectors into foreign coins would be
given a decisive shot in the arm by return of the Yeoman "Brown Book", the decision
by Krause Publications to break out 18th century coinage into its own book is a step
in the right direction. My hope is that they now go on to separate 19th and 20th
century coinage into two separate volumes.

Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr., Book Librarian
James D. Haley, Periodical Librarian

NI ATTRIBUTION SERVICE: The NI Attribution Service has a very significant
backlog of material built up and is temporarily suspending the service until further
notice. We hope to catch up on the backlog and offer the service again soon.

MEMBER NOTICE PAGE: For the first time since the Member Notice Page was
started in 1970 we did not receive any new notices for publication this month. Only
one notice was on hand and it is a repeat notice, therefore it will be held over until
the next issue. All members are encouraged to use the page for listing of wants,
trades, research notices or about anything you can think of except that we do not
accept any FOR SALE type notices. Members using the page report good results in
most instances. Very few do not receive any response at all on a notice.

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

While we have many excellent authors contributing numismatic articles, we are
always in need of more material. Our supply of originally written material has
dwindled drastically during the winter months and at the present time we have
material for only about 2 issues on hand for future publication. All members are
welcome to contribute articles on their special areas of collecting and we urge you to
give it a try if you haven’t put pen to paper before with an article. We are very
lenient in what is accepted as we feel the publication should be open to everyone,
novice or advanced.

Another area of need is for page fillers. Items from a few lines to as much as a full
page are welcome. These fillers should be of general information that can be
published at any time. A review of the fillers used in past issues is a good general
guideline as to the type of material needed.

Marvin L. Fraley, Editor

76

FROM THE MAILBOX

New Zealand member sends complete banknote listing to NI Library

I have enclosed copies of articles on New Zealand banknotes primarily for your
library but also to inform fellow members of the availability of this first time
publication of such information.

I have listed all the prefixes used by our Reserve Bank and close to the year issued
for all government issue banknotes since 1934.

Each different issue is sub-divided into varieties for the different signatures or minor
changes. Numbers printed of each type and minor variety have been included apart
from replacement notes for which the figures still remain unknown.

The information is all on Pagemaker 4 and will be transferred to Pagemaker 5 shortly.
If any member wants the info on disk, then the cost is a few crisp banknotes.

In due course the info will be put onto CD ROM disk but I expect that will take me
at least a year to get all the photographs correctly entered and accessible.

Best wishes - the coin world here is great for quality, dead for ordinary condition
coin, and our government charges far too much for new issues, of which there is an
imaginative variety of non-circulating legal tender.

If any (NI) members visit Australia or New Zealand then let me know beforehand and
I will tell them where to go - pleasantly.

Alistair Robb
Private Box 13
Wellington 6015
New Zealand

(The information forwarded by NI member Robb has been forwarded to the NI
Library.)

Kudos for issue of February 1994

This is just a quick letter to congratulate you on the scholarly standards reached in
the two articles in your NI Bulletin, volume 29, number 2 (February, 1994).

The two articles by Kenneth MacKenzie and Bob Forrest were extraordinarily well-
researched and altogether interesting. I greatly enjoyed reading them and I hope you
will have more contributions from these gentlemen and others who have reached the
same standards.

77

Landon Thomas
New York, New York

THE PASCO MINT AND SOME
COUNTERFEIT COINS

Horace P. Flatty Terrell, Texas , NI #1857

Introduction. The silver mines of the Cerro de Pasco were the greatest single natural
resource of Peru at the time of independence. Located about 180 miles to the
northeast of Lima at an altitude of about 14,200 feet, only the promise of riches could
draw men to such a remote village with its harsh climate. The silver bullion from the
mines was refined there in a smelter (callana), and taken by muleback to Lima for
minting or overseas shipment - at least, whatever was not shipped clandestinely to
avoid payment of taxes. The trail, sometimes not more than three feet in width and
on the edge of a steep precipice, was not only daunting to the traveller, but was also
beset by robbers who would attempt to seize the bullion going to Lima or the minted
coins being sent in payment on the return trip.

Almost from the beginning of the Republic, there was a clamor for a mint which
could at least supply the small coins needed for daily commerce in the district. An
abortive attempt at establishing a mint was made in 1835-1836, as evidenced by an
eight reales coin of the latter year1. A more successful attempt was made in the
period 1843-1845 when a privately-owned mint was established in the small village
of Quinua, located about nine miles to the north of Cerro de Pasco. The number of
coins produced was so small that the mint officials illegally turned to the production
of debased coins in an effort to at least repay the investment of local miners in the
mint2. As a result, the mint was closed in January 1845. It was not reopened until
1855 as Ram6n Castilla seized power in Peru3. The mint was finally closed in 1857
as a first step in the reformation of the Peruvian coinage4.

The little information in Reference 3 concerning the reopening of the mint in 1855
was gleaned from the pages of El Comercio, the famous daily newspaper of Lima.
Further information has come to light through the discovery of a manuscript dated
1863 concerning some counterfeit four reales coins of 1856 - a most unlikely source5.

The author’s attention was drawn to this document not because reports of assays of
counterfeit coins of this period were unusual, but because of the date (1863) and the
fact that the four reales coin of Lima of 1856 is an extremely scarce coin (one
authority says only about four specimens are currently known). Counterfeiting
flourished in Peru because of the comparatively simple design of the early coins
which continued to circulate even after the reformation of the coinage began in 1858.

Following a summary of the document itself, some comments are made on both the
four reales coins of Lima and Pasco. The discovery of a new variety of the 1845 four
reales of Lima is reported. The new information from the document allows an
improved classification of the interesting and scarce series of four reales coins of
Pasco - a short series of coins with a number of types and one which can be a
challenge for any collector to complete.

78

Figures 1 and 2

The Counterfeit Coins. The Lima mint first made the Republican four reales coins
in 1842, using a design similar to that used on the early eight reales. The four coins
submitted to the mint for analysis on 9 October 1863 created great interest there
because, while containing little or no silver, they were exact replicas of the legitimate
coins of 1856, excepting only the edges (See Figures 1 and 2). In particular, note that
the pole supporting the liberty cap in Figure 1 does not extend to the base on which
the figure of the maiden stands. The edge of the coin was decorated with a set of
loops which appear to form an 8, rather than the usual serrated edge. The mint
officials were greatly concerned about the origin of the dies that were used. Had they
somehow been stolen from the Lima mint?

Pedro D6valos, the chief engraver of the mint, noted that according to regulations,
dies unused from a given year were destroyed. Presumably, then, the dies did not
come from the Lima mint. Ddvalos suggested the possibility that the dies were made
using punches taken from the mint at Pasco, closed since the end of 1857.

Ignacio Ortiz de Zevallos, the senior assayer of the Lima mint and formerly the
director of the Pasco mint (1855-1857) was asked his opinion concerning the coins.
In a long letter dated 9 January 1864, he concluded his observations by remarking that
counterfeit coins so perfect could not be made with only a set of punches but would
have required a complete set of dies made by an artisan at least as skilled as those in
the Lima mint. Further, he noted, the coins made in Pasco in that period really were
not identical to those of Lima. His documentation of that comment is of great
importance for the history of the Pasco mint, but doesn’t settle the question of the
origin of the dies.

The Pasco Mint. Ortiz de Zevallos began by noting that at the end of 1854, the
revolutionary government of Ram6n Castilla was in control of the Department of
Junln and decided to reopen the Pasco mint, closed since 1845. The Department was
completely cut off from Lima, then under control of General Echenique, the elected
President of Peru. Under such circumstances it would have been impossible to send
from Lima matrices prepared by the Talla Mayor (Chief Engraver).

Nicolas Salasar had been employed as fiel (the person with overall responsibility for
the making of the coins) by the Prefect of Junln (Bernardo Bermudez). Ortiz de
Zevallos said that the dies had been prepared by Salasar and were "extremely

79

imperfect". The one known example of this coin6, possibly because of the wear on
the coin, appears to be identical in design to earlier Pasco four reales coins on the
reverse, and for that reason, is distinct from those made in Lima. The obverse,
however, does use the abbreviation REP rather than REPUB, as in the earlier Pasco
coins.

A short time later, according to Ortiz de Zevallos, Don Juan Bautista Bustamante was
sent by Ramdn Castilla to be the engraver for the newly-opened mint. Bustamante
still did not have the necessary matrices and so began to make a complete set of
punches in order to prepare the dies. The coins made from these dies are very
distinctive from those made in Lima as well as in Pasco, as is obvious in Figures 1 1
and 12.

Afterwards (the word used by Ortiz de Zevallos; my emphasis), when Ortiz de
Zevallos had been named Director (14 April7), Domingo Elias, Treasury minister,
ordered various tools to be sent from Lima. Among them were two dies for the peso
fuerte, one with the figure of Liberty and one with the coat-of-arms, but both lacking
other symbols or inscriptions8. Ortiz de Zevallos asked the engraver of Quinua to
reproduce the matrices (for use in making four reales), but noted that they were not
exact since the Talla Mayor should have remitted the matrices for the four reales
(my emphasis).

But when Ortiz de Zevallos took charge of the mint, Bustamante had actually left his
office and Jos6 Manuel Cuevas became the new engraver. Cuevas had been the
engraver at the mint in 1844 and 1845.

Punches dating back to the closing of the mint in 1845 were said to be still stored in
the Principal Treasury of Junrn. No special precaution for their storage had been
taken and the punches had rusted over time, most being in an unserviceable state by
1855 - so muchly so that both Salasar and Bustamante had not even tried to use them,
but Cuevas placed them in service after some work. These punches continued in use
until the end of 1857 and all coins made at Pasco were in fact distinct from those
made in Lima. A detailed inventory was taken by the administrator of the treasury
in Jurun. On the closing of the mint, all of the tools and instruments that were used
to fabricate coins and were easily transportable were sent to the Lima mint. Among
these were all the punches and dies3.

Ortiz de Zevallos further noted that he had become treasurer of the Pasco mint in
1844 when they ceased making the debased coin of fineness eight dineros and had
begun making coins of the full legal fineness (August 1844, see Reference 5).
However, he had resigned in protest in November 1844 when the mint had resumed
making the debased coins. As a consequence of this new minting, the mint was
closed in January 1845 and a very informal inventory of the mint was taken. In spite
of this, Ortiz de Zevallos said he believed that the punches that served to make the
dies were delivered to the administrator of the treasury and then returned in 1855 in
an unserviceable state.

He concluded the letter as noted previously, claiming that for all of the reasons given

80

above, the dies used in Pasco could not have been the source of those used for the
counterfeit four reales.

Figures 3 and 4

Some Comments. As noted above, the Republican series of four reales coins made
in the Lima mint begins in 1842. The design used differed somewhat from the earlier
four reales coins made in the Cuzco mint and Arequipa mints in 1835-1840 (see
Figures 3 and 4 for an example). In the earlier coins, the pole held in the right hand
of the maiden clearly extends to the base, while in the new Lima design, the pole is
only shown between the hand and the liberty cap above it (see Figure 1). When the
dies and punches were made in Lima for the Pasco mint, the pole extended from the
liberty cap to the base, as in the earlier Cuzco and Arequipa coins. This design
appears on all of the four reales coins of Pasco currently known, and makes these
coins distinctive from all the Lima coins - with one exception.

The Lima coins were made in 1842 and 1843, but not in 1844. The dies for Pasco
were made in 1843 with the slight change in design noted above. While preparing
this article, the author reviewed his own collection with this design change in mind,
and discovered a variety of the Lima 1845 four reales in which the pole clearly
extends to the base. A second variety of 1845 is identical to the earlier and later four
reales coins of Lima. The reason for the appearance of these two varieties is not
known. Perhaps a die prepared for the Pasco mint was used in error some time that
year.

It is important to note here that all of the Pasco coins of the period 1843-1845 used
the same design, and distinct from those of Lima, with the exception noted above.
It is therefore clear that the dies used for the counterfeit coins of 1856 never had been
used to make coins in the Pasco mint. The documents in Reference 5 do not reach
any conclusion as to the origin of the dies; it does seem clear that the security
procedures in the Lima mint were not as good as supposed.

A New Classification. Since earlier classifications of the Pasco four reales were done
by Gianelloni9, Almanzar and Seppa10, Diez-Canseco11, and Craig12, the discovery
of the new type coin made by Salasar and the information reported above allows a
more proper classification of these coins. It differs primarily in the introduction of
an additional type and the changed ordering of the older types to conform to the time
the coins were first produced:

81

(

Figures 5 and 6

Type 1: Obverse: REPUB. PERUANA. PAZ. 4R.10D.® 20G.s assayer, date

1843 M

Comment: Although dated 1843, this very scarce coin was

undoubtedly produced in 1844 in extremely limited numbers. The
initial M represents Manuel Oyarzabal2. See Figures 5 and 6.

Figures 7 and 8

Type 2: Obverse: REPUBLICA. PERUANA. PASCO 4R., assayer, date

1844 M

1845 M

Comment: The coins of 1844 were produced during July, August,
November, and December. The coins of 1845 were produced only
during the first week of January 1845 and are very rare2. These are
debased coins. See Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 9 and 10

82

Type 3:

Obverse: REPUB. PERUANA. PASCO. 4R. 10D.8 20G.S, assayer, date

1844 M

Comment: These coins were produced in the period August -

November 1844. See Figure 9 and 10.

Type 4: Obverse: REP. peruana. PASCO. 4R. iod.8 20G.8, assayer, date

1855 N S

Comment: This coin was the first produced at Pasco in 1855 and
carries the assayer initials N S (Nicolas Salasar). The design was as
before, the specific gravity was 10.405, the weight 12.56 grams, and
the diameter 33.76. This is clearly a coin conforming to the
specification of the earlier coinage laws (decree of 1840), in contrast
to other known Pasco four reales coins of 1855. Note the difference
in the inscription on the obverse. An illustration of the coin is in
Reference 6.

Figures 77 and 12

Type 5: Obverse: REP. PERUANA. PASCO. 4R. IOD 20G, assayer date

1855 M

Comment: Ortiz de Zevallos said that a short (my emphasis) time
after he was appointed director, Juan Bautista Bustamante was sent by
Castilla to be the engraver for the newly-opened mint. Bustamante
still did not have the necessary matrices and so began to make a
complete set of punches in order to prepare new dies. The coins made
as a result of the use of these dies were very distinctive from earlier
coins of both Lima and Pasco. There are two major varieties of this
coin, one with a B at the top of the civic wreath. One coin without
the initial has been reported. The meaning of the assayer initial M is
uncertain. See Figures 11 and 12.

These coins conformed to the new coinage decree of June 2, 1855.
This decree lowered the weight of the peso from the traditional 542
grains to 480 grains, reflecting the impact of the gold discoveries in
California and Australia4. The later Pasco coins all had an obviously
smaller diameter (32 mm.) required by lowering the weight without
changing the fineness and thickness.

83

Figures 13 and 14

Type 6: Obverse: REPUB. PERUANA. PASCO. 4R. 10D.8 20G.8, assayer, date

1855 No assayer initial

Comment: This second type of 1855 does not have an assayer’ s
initial. The obverse and reverse dies used in this variety differs from
those used in 1844, providing additional proof that the dies in storage
were not simply shipped to Quinua for the appropriate modification.
There is a tassel on the liberty cap of the 1855 coins, with none on the
coins of 1844. There are berries in the civic wreath of the four reales
of 1844, with none in those of 1855. The differences in the varieties
of 1855 are quite marked: on the obverse, other than the use of REP
on the first type and REPUB on the second variety, there are 1 1 palm
leaves on the first variety, with only 10 on the second. See Figures 13
and 14.

Manuel Cuevas designed this coin. Ortiz de Zevallos said that the
punches used had been stored in the treasury on Junfn since 1845.
Moreover, we know from an inventory of the Lima mint in 1853 that
a set of dies and punches (as well as other tools) had been stored in
Lima8. Further, there is a notation on the inventory concluded on
December 31, 1855 that most of these punches and dies had been sent
to Junfn on July 25. Included in the list of material sent to Junfn were
the dies for the peso fuerte mentioned by Ortiz de Zevallos, but also
dies for the four reales and a set of punches6. If these documents are
all correct, then there was clearly at least two sets of punches and dies
left over from 1845.

Figures 15 and 16

84

Type 7:

Obverse: REPUB. PERUANA. PASCO. 4R. 10D.8 20G.8, assayer, date

1856 Z over O

1857 Z over O

1857 No assayer initial
1857 AF monogram

Comment: On the reverse, the figure of the maiden is of a more
traditional form, with no tassel attached to the liberty cap. On the
obverse, berries again appear in the civic wreath and there are 11
leaves in the palm frond. The assayer’ s initial Z over O for Ortiz de
Zevallos appears for the first time. A small fleur de lis appears in the
wreath at the top. The coin of 1856 is considered rare, with only
about ten examples currently known12. In the example of the coin
owned by the author, the C in PASCO is punched over what appears
to be the number O.

The four reales coins of 1857 are of the same type as those of 1856,
but there are three major varieties as well as some minor ones. The
major varieties are differentiated by the assayer’s initial, that is, a Z
within an O, no initial, and AF. See Figures 15 and 16.

The first major variety of 1857 has the initial of Ortiz de Zevallos,
with a fleur de lis in the wreath (as in 1856), and with no period
beneath the second s in the inscription of the fineness. The second
variety is similar, but with no period beneath the s. A third variety has
the period as well, but no fleur de lis in the wreath. A fourth variety
has a fleur de lis on the liberty cap of the reverse.

The second major variety does not have an assayer’s initial or the
fleur de lis in the wreath, but otherwise (except for minor spacing in
the legend of the obverse) is identical to the coin of 1856.

The third major variety has the assayer’s initials AF combined so as
to appear as the single symbol "/f ". It is otherwise identical to the
second major variety. While a document appointing Agustin Figueroa
as the assayer of the Pasco mint has not yet been discovered, there are
strong reasons to believe that these are indeed his initials. He is listed
in 1859 as an assistant to the assayers of the Lima mint3. This
supposition appears to be confirmed in 1861 when Figueroa is again
listed with added notation agregado de la moneda de quinua, i.e.,
assistant from the mint of Quinua.

Conclusion. The discovery of the letter of Ortiz de Zevallos has led to a much better
understanding of the events surrounding the reopening of the Pasco mint in 1855, as
well as coins that were produced during this period. Several questions remain to be
resolved, such as the origin of the dies used by Salasar and the meaning of the initial
M on the second type designed by Bustamante.

85

1. Flatt, Horace P.
242-243, 1985.

REFERENCES

"The Pasco Mint: The Eight Reales of 1836." N I Bulletin 19:

2. . "The Pasco Mint: 1842-46." NI Bulletin 19: 269-272,1985.

3. . "The Pasco Mint: The Final Years." NI Bulletin 19: 353-358

1985.

4. . The Transitional Coins of Peru." American Numismatic

Society Museum Notes 32: 169-180, 1987.

5. "Expediente sobre el examen de monedas que acusar signos de falsificacidn."
Biblioteca Nacional, D2555, 27 November 1863.

6. Flatt, Horace P. "The Pasco Mint: A Newly Discovered Coin." NI Bulletin 20-
104-105, 1986.

7. Archivo General de la Nacidn (A.G.N.). O.L. 392-208 (13 June 1855).

8. "Especies de la Casa de Moneda de la Quinua existentes en un Cuarto de
Tesoreria." December 1853 (private collectionb of Eduardo Dargent Chamot).

9. Gianelloni, Luis. "Amonedacion de Pasco." Numismatica No. 19: 5-10, 1974.

10. Almanzar, A. and Seppa, D. A. The Coins of Peru 1822-1972. San Antonio,
Texas: Author.

11. Diez-Canseco Suarez, Daniel. "La Amonedacion en Plata, Cobre de las Casas de
Arequipa, Cuzco, Lima, y Pasco 1822-1857." Numismatica 32: 167-208, 1981.

12. Craig, Freeman L. "Americas Collection." Page 33. In Kagin’s 1983 ANA
Auction. Session 2. Des Moines.

USUALMARK

During a great part of the Middle Ages, when payments were made in the Mark as
a money of account, it became necessary to have a fixed standard, as the Pfennige
and other small coins were not uniform in size and fineness. The coins were
therefore melted and cast in a flat circular lump, upon which incuse stampings were
affixed, indicating the weight and purity of the silver. These ingots are known in
contemporary records as "marcae argenti usualis signatae", and the more common
name for one of them was the "Usualmark". By an agreement made in 1382, the
cities of Goslar, Brunswick, Hildesheim, Eimbeck, Hanover, Wernigerode, and
Osterode pledged themselves to keep all of their Usualmarken at a uniform degree of
fineness. These were stamped with the arms of the respective cities, and in addition
with a crown, as an indication of the conventional agreement.

86

(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)

THE BATTLE OF SANTANDER, 1937

Peter S. Horvitz, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, NI #2215

The arms of Santander, a province of northern Spain, part of the old principality of
Asturias, shows a ship sailing across a wavy sea before a lighthouse. The lighthouse
represents those at the entrance of the harbor of the city of Santander, one of Spain’s
major seaports. The city, located on the Bay of Santander, an inlet of the Bay of
Biscay, is the capital of the province. The Santander shield appears on the 1937 one
peseta coin issued by the Council of Santander, Palencia and Burgos of the
Republican side during the Spanish Civil War. (See NI Bulletin , November, 1991,
p. 271.) The lighthouse and lines of waves appear again, though in a very different
style, on the medal struck to commemorate the Nationalist victory in Santander over
the Republican forces.

When the Nationalist uprising began in 1936, most of the north of Spain fell to its
supporters. This was not true, however, of Asturias. But though Asturias managed
to maintain its loyalty to the Republic, it was cut off by the Nationalist forces from
both Madrid and Barcelona. Left to its own devices, the territory was forced to
govern itself, including issuing its own currency. Franco, as was typical of his
cautious military style, bided his time until the fall of the Basque provinces. Then
he turned his attention to Asturias. The attack on Santander began following the fall
of Bilbao, on June 19, 1937, under the leadership of General Fidel Ddvila. The attack
had to be briefly delayed, but recommenced in full force on July 14. Ddvila’s forces,
some 90,000 troops, consisted of the Nationalist Army of the North, Navarrese forces,
and some 25,000 Italian troops. The campaign was especially important for the
Italians, as they had recently disgraced themselves at the battle of Guadalajara. The
Santander campaign proved a great boost for their prestige.

Santander was defended by the 14 and 15 Republican Army Corps. The leader of the
Republican forces was General Gamir Ulibarri and his forces numbered between

87

70,000 and 80,000 troops. However, the Republican army was greatly outnumbered
in terms of aircraft. Santander fell to the Nationalist forces and General Davila
entered the capital city Santander on August 26, 1937.

The campaign medal issued to commemorate this Nationalist victory measures 32
millimeters and is looped. It is struck in bronze. The obverse shows a force of
Nationalist soldiers advancing left. A plane flies above them. A cannon leads the
way, a tank follows. Two horses are part of the force. The foremost soldier holds
a flag. Directly under the image is the signature of the medalist, ABFER. The
reverse shows a fascis, very simplified in form, looking a bit like a cannon, over a
Roman military standard over the Falangist yoke and arrows. Sun rays radiate from
behind. To the left of these superimposed images are two bayonets and further left
appears the lighthouse above the wavy sea. The legend is SANTANDER.
26.VIH.1937.

THE USE OF LEAD IN COINAGE

Lead was used for trial pieces, tokens, and counterfeit money from very early times.
Among the known specimens prior to the Christian era are some belonging to the
Kings of Numidia. In the second and third centuries A.D. leaden coins were issued
in Egypt, especially at Memphis, and in the first and second centuries in Roman Gaul.

This metal was also employed for striking obsidional coins, of which there is a series,
consisting of one Sol to forty Sols, issued at Woerden when that city was besieged
by the Spaniards in 1575-1576.

There is also an extensive series of Duits in lead struck by the Dutch in the eighteenth
century for their possessions in Ceylon and Java. In the Danish issues for Tranquebar
the leaden pieces originated under Christian IV in 1640.

Leaden tokens passing as half Pennies were issued to a considerable amount in
England during the reign of Elizabeth I. Then under James I all leaden tokens of
private traders were abolished.

Erasmus, in his Adagia, mentions "Plumbeos Angliae" in use in the latter part of the
reign of Henry VH, and Budelius, DeMonetis, 1591, states that these leaden tokens
were still in circulation in his time.

Submitted by R. R. Kutcher

"DAGGER MONEY"

The sum of money formerly paid the justices of assize on the northern circuit in
England to provide against marauders was called "Dagger Money".

88

(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)

ITALY WINS TOP AWARD FOR ’92 COIN OF THE YEAR

Italy may be establishing a numismatic dynasty. Its Flora and Fauna silver 500 lire,
KM- 154, has been named Coin of the Year for pieces dated 1992. This makes two
awards in a row for Italy. The competition for this award is sponsored by World
Coin News , a newspaper for world coin collectors published by Krause Publications
in lola, Wisconsin.

The last time a nation repeated in the COTY awards was in 1982 and 1983 when the
United States won the competition.

An international panel of judges had a field of seven designs to choose from in
making their selection during a second round of balloting that concluded in January
1994.

In the first round of voting, during the autumn of 1993, the 500 lire was named the
winner of Most Artistic Coin honors by the judges. The winners in seven other
COTY categories then vied with the Italian issue for the overall title.

Another piece competing to be named COTY was the Austrian 100 schilling, KM-
3007, for Kaiser Karl V (Charles V), which was named Best Crown.

A U.S. $5 gold piece honoring Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America
in 1492 topped the Best Gold category.

Another U.S. coin, a silver dollar marking the 200th anniversary of the White House,
was named Most Popular Coin.

A copper-nickel 1-rouble coin celebrating the rebirth of Russian sovereignty, Y-303,
was the winner of the Most Historically Significant Coin category.

At the top of the Best Silver Coin category was Spain’s silver Olympic 2,000 pesetas,
Y-223.

The winner of two categories. Best Trade Coin and Most Innovative Coinage Concept,
was France’s tri-metal 20 francs depicting Mt. St. Michel, Y-167. The coin is made
of a copper-aluminum-nickel outer ring around a pure nickel inner ring which then
contains a copper-aluminum-nickel center.

89

Judges are numismatic professionals located around the world. They have
backgrounds as mintmasters, artists, coin dealers, hobby leaders and journalists. They
are asked by Krause Publications to participate in the two round of balloting without
compensation.

The Coin of the Year award was established 12 years ago by Krause Publications’
World C oin News to recognize superior work and talent in the numismatic field and
to offer positive feedback to the world’s mints.

)|c ^|c 3jc ^|c )|c i|c ^ ^ ^ »j - ^ ^ ^ ^ * J » ^ - j . » j . ^ »| . ^ ^ ^ ^

"LEAGUE COINAGE"

The general term "League Coinage" is used to designate such coins of the ancients
as were put forth by a federation of states or cities in order to ensure a certain amount
of uniformity so far as types, weight and fineness were concerned. The principal one
of these Leagues was the Achaean League.

The Aitolian League issued gold, silver, and bronze B.C. 291-168, and the coins
usually have the reverse a figure of Aitolia, copied from a statue dedicated at Delphi
in commemoration of victories over the Gauls and Macedonians.

The Arcadian League was established by Epaminondas against Sparta after the battle
of Leuctra, B.C. 371, and under its auspices the city of Megalopolis was founded.
At this place the coins of the League were struck.

The coinage of Bceotia was largely a federal currency from the earliest times, and the
Boeotian shield is a characteristic feature on the issues. This may possibly refer to
the shield of Athena Itonia in the temple of Coroneia, which was the meeting place
of the League. This type disappears after B.C. 146.

The cities of Chalcidice established a League B.C. 392 with Olynthus as its
headquarters. The coinage is uniform with types relating to Apollo. It was dissolved
about B.C. 358, when Philip II of Macedonia captured Chalcidice.

The feudal coinage of Euboea was issued at Eretria. It lasted from B.C. 411 to B.C.
336 and nothing was struck during the Macedonian occupation. After the defeat of
the Macedonians at Cynoscephalae B.C. 197 the federal coinage was revived until this
League was also dissolved by the Romans, B.C. 146.

The Ionian League was a very ancient alliance and originally consisted of the cities
of Clazomenae. Colphon, Ephesus, Erythrae, Lebedus, Miletus, Myus, Phocaea, Priene,
Chios, Teos, and Samos. Smyrna was added about B.C. 700. Under Antoninus Pius
and Marcus Aurelius the above thirteen cities issued bronze coins in celebration of
a festival they jointly held.

An alliance between the rulers of the various Lycian cities gave rise to the Lycian
League, B.C. 168, and lasted until A.D. 43, when the Emperor Claudius organized
Lycia with Pamphylia as a Roman province.

90

Submitted by R. R. Kutcher

BOCK NEWS & REVIEWS

AK AKCE: MONGOL AND HKHANID GOINS. By Tuncay Aykllt. Note: "Ak akoe"
can be translated as "silver mcney." Stiff paper clovers, 9 x 10 1/2
inches, 222 pages, profusely illustrated with the coin photographs
printed in gold, silver, and bronze colors, and enlarged sketches of
all coin types. Published in 1992, released in 1993. Available from
the publisher: YAPI KREDI, Istiklal Cad, Nos. 285—287 Kat: 5 B.Blck,
Beyoglu 80050 Istanbul, Thfkey. Price is approximately $75.00.

The author was for many years the curator of the Yapi ve Kredi Bankas i
Coin Collection. For this new series, YAPI KREDI ODIN OQIiBCnCNS, of
which this is the first volume, she has written an important catalogue
of their rich collection of the coins of the Ilkhanids and the small
number of the coins of the Great Khans.

This volume is a fine supplement to the British Museum catalogue, THE
GOINS OF THE MONGOLS (1881) , written by Stanley Lane-Poole with its
useful introductory chapter and description of coins, many of them
unusual and rare.

Included is a complete biography of bocks and articles written in the
past century such as the catalogues by I. & C. Artuk, Tiesenhausen and
Butak, and M. M. Mitchiier, as well as the important articles on the
subject in JESH0, ANS MN, TND BUKTENS, by such scholars as Album,
Blair, Remler, and Smith. She acknowledges hew greatly she has
benefited from their opinions which facilitated the work on this
catalogue.

The text throughout is in Turkish and English and includes a fine
forward by Professor Sevket Pamuk, Money, History and Numismatics, in
which he reaches interesting conclusions about the early history of the
Ottomans and their monetary practices by the study of the Ilkhanid
coinage.

The author emphasizes in her introductory text that the Yapi Kredi
collection consists mainly of coins found in Turkey, and that the
Ilkhanid section had earned the admiration of the Turkish and foreign
scholars who have been granted permission to examine it. The
collection has nearly 3000 coins of which nearly 1000 are referred to
and illustrated in this catalogue.

Before the actual catalogue section there are brief commentaries about
the coins of the rulers. In these commentaries, seventy seven coins
have been illustrated with enlarged obverse and reverse sketches which
shew clearly the type designs with the legends translated, and a
mention of mint place names observed for each type. The catalogue
portion of one hundred pages shews most of the coins printed in color,
in actual size, with their diameter, weight (in grams), and mint.
Although the illustrations have been well printed by Prcamat A. S. seme
are not clear enough to study prcperly. It would have been an
improvement if mint place names could have been listed shewing the way
in which they are inscribed on the coins (24 are clearly shown on the
enlarged sketches mentioned above) . Alternatively, the colored
printing could have been dispensed with and the savings used for
printing the coin photographs in black and white with many enlargements

91

to highlight the beauty of the designs and the calligraphy so typical
of this fascinating series of coins.

Nevertheless, this is a very handsome limited edition on superior art
paper which will appeal to all students and collectors of Islamic
coins. The author deserves great credit for the meticulous work
involved in its compilation.

Reviewed by Kenneth M. Mackenzie.

* * *

AKRJK OGULLARI SIKKELERI. By Ibrahim and Oevriye Artuk. Stiff paper
covers, 6x9 1/4 inches, 148 pages, 20 plates, and three folding
charts of dynasties in envelopes. Turkish language only. Istanbul,
1993. Available from the publisher: Sumer Kitabevi, Sahaflar Carsisi
Mo. 2, Beyazit, Istanbul, Turkey. Price is $30.00.

Ibrahim Artuk spent most of his working years with the Islamic Coins
Department of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. He retired in the
1980's and with the help of his wife decided to finish his manuscript
on the history of the Artuqids and their coins. This work was
completed in 1990. Sadly, Ibrahim Artuk died in February 1993 after a
long illness prior to publication of the work. His main contributions
to the work are historical facts, with many citations, contained in the
foreword (pages 13-55) which are based upon his deep understanding of
the rulers and their coins, which will interest scholars and
numismatists. However, since the text is in Turkish only a relatively
few western readers will appreciate the contents. An English resume
or translation would have been extremely valuable.

The catalogue portion of the work fills pages 78-128. It contains all
the figured and calligraphic coin types known to him. The legends of
these coins are printed in Arabic. The catalogue also provides the
usual data, including the source of the coin described, for each coin.
There are 159 entries, with 107 illustrations (67 are figured coins)
on 20 plates. The illustrations are well printed in sepia color and
excellent for study purposes. Apart from the 107 bronze coins there
are 51 silver coins of the later Artuqids. Many of the coins will be
familiar to students and collectors who have the catalogue of I. Ghalib
Edhem (1894) and Stanley Lane-Poole's, COINS OF THE URUIKI TURKMANS
(1875) , but they will welcome knowledge of the additional coins and the
correct readings of many of the legends which Artuk presents.

Useful additions in this compact work are genealogical charts reprinted
from the works of Edhem, Zambaur, Lane-Poole, Grouse t, and the Islam
Ans iklcpedes is (1940) , as well as an important table prepared by Dr.
Ahmet Savran in 1987. Also, the Koranic legends found on the coins are
listed and a table of the Kufic and related Arabic alphabets with
transliterations (some from Butak's work) fill three pages.

This new work will be helpful to those who have read and enjoyed the
recent work by William Spengler and Wayne Sayles, FIGURAL BRONZE GOINS
AND THEIR ICONOGRAPHY. In that work, the inclusion of the coin legends
as they appear on the coins (as shown in Butak's work) is desirable for
collectors, and their Numismatic Ocmnentary and Art Historical Analysis

92

for each coin type excites the reader to delve further into the study
of these fascinating bronzes. Incidentally, Artuk's new book will
allow Turkish collectors to appreciate more thoroughly the work of
Spengler and Sayles and their unique approach to that part of the
series.

The present volume by the Artuks is an attractively produced and
iirportant catalogue by an acknowledged expert which takes into account
the work of eighty historians and numismatists who have written about
the history and the coins of this Turkmen dynasty, 1102-1408 A.D.

Reviewed by Kenneth Mackenzie.

* * *

ELEPHANTS: IN NLKISMATICS AND EXCNIMA FROM ANCLENT TO MODERN TIMES.
By Gerald S. Porter. Published in 1993. Softbound, 242 pages.
Available from the author at 1958 Pittview Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
15212. Price is $20.00 postpaid.

The elephant has been an object of fascination to people since before
recorded history. Because of its size and power, it has evoked an
image of dominance and impregnability. Civilizations since ancient
times have depicted the elephant on their coins as a symbol of
authority, power, and honor, and as a useful mode of transport of both
men and goods. Modem governments have portrayed the elephant on
medals, tokens, and banknotes, and at least two countries, Laos and
Thailand, have embraced the elephant as their nation's symbol.

Gerald Porter has compiled a wonderfully comprehensive volume bringing
together a diverse collection of elephants of numismatic interest.
This book is a real treat, from its cover depicting the quadriga on a
Reman bronze coin of Lucius Verus (161-169 A.D.) right through to the
end. Within are listed over 2,100 different types with over 3,000
total varieties and hundreds of illustrations, both photographs and
hand drawings. Detailed descriptions of each item are given, including
medal content and size, and provenance when knewn.

Porter begins with a pachyderm "frontispiece" comparing the anatomical
characteristics of the African and Asian elephants. Following this is
a table of contents which includes: Ancients; Modem Coins; United
States Tokens, Medals, and Exonumia (Advertising and Political) ; and
World Tokens, Medals, and Currency. The Ancient section is
particularly expansive, with categories for Greece, Eastern, Eastem-
Islamic, Fastem-non- 1 s lamic , and Pane, as well as additional clear
sub-categories. The book ends with an extensive bibliography and
useful index.

This volume by Porter is so wide ranging that there is semvething of
interest here for almost everyone. It will have great appeal to
collectors and historians and to dealers and auction houses as a useful
reference. Purchase is highly reexmmended.

Reviewed by Dennis Gill.

93

1993 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN NlMfMATTC RESEARCH SOCIETY. The
Canadian Numismatic Research Society has just published the 29th annual
volume of its TRANSACTIONS. It contains 122 bound pages of 46 indexed
articles. The articles are all based on original research and cover
most Canadian areas of numismatics with a special emphasis on tokens
and medals. The Society has 44 members at the present time and
membership is by invitation only. Available from Harry N. James, Box
22022, Elmwood Square P.O., 204 First Avenue, St. Thomas, Ontario N5R
6A1, Canada. Price is U.S.$16.00 postpaid.

Reviewed by Jerry Remick.

* * *

CUANTD VALIN TUB MDNEDAS [Prices of Colombian coins in U.S. Dollars].
By Jorge Qailio Restrepo. 54 pages, small "vest pocket" checklist
format, with glossy illustrated card acrvers.

Restrepo subtitles his latest Spanish language effort "A listing of
Colombian coins with their respective retail values: 1808-1993," which
is the most exact description possible of this handy checklist.
Although he has already authored five works on Colombian coins, these
have always been broken down by types, such as his bocks on 2 real and
50 centavo size coins, or by eras, such as his separate works on 1808-
1886 and 1886 to date coinage. Aficionados of Colombian coins already
have these bocks, or at least they should. The present checklist is
both an update on all coins known to exist and the best estimate
possible of their current retail values. In those rare instances where
no price is given, the reader can assume that the coin in question is
virtually never offered for sale on the open market. The only
exception is for silver coins minted prior to 1886, most of which are
unpriced in uncirculated condition, except for a very few well-known
hoard pieces. However, this reviewer can attest to the "universal"
veracity of the data Restrepo has used: in his collection are only two
pieces which the author has not priced at all, and just a few more (of
the pre-1886 era) which he possesses in uncirculated condition.
Apparently, the markets in Colombia and the United States are not as
different as one might suppose.

Ten years of arduously attempting to put together a representative
collection of pre-1886 Colombian coins have taught this reviewer two
facts: the problem is almost never price, but rather availability
(literally scores of coins which are priced at under $20 in SCM2 are
virtually never offered for sale (including entire types) , and that
once you have found the easiest (not the cheapest) 40 to 50 coins, you
realize that these are about all there are. Where are the rest? Not,
apparently, in Colombia either. If anything, Restrepo' s prices for
scarce pieces are two to three times those found in SCWC, and, in the
English-language introduction, he remarks: "Colombian coins are scarce
and collectors few. The market is narrow and very sensitive. One new
serious collector raises the price of the pieces he is looking for."
Although we would say that the market is "thinly traded" instead of
"narrow and sensitive," the import is clear: the coins are not common
anywhere. This is part of their appeal.

Besides general validity, this pricelist is characterized by its

94

completeness: die varieties and overdates abound, and they are all
listed and priced here. For example, no less than 25 varieties of the
1971 20 centavo piece are listed, including the one in this reviewer's
collection with "fully proof like surfaces." If we compare the degree
of differentiation and completeness which Restrepo has achieved here
for Colombian coins with any other Latin American country, or even with
any European country’, it is nothing short of astounding. Although this
checklist is at its best when used together with Restrepo' s other, more
complete works — which have both rarity scales and extensive
photography — it is, by itself, the first work either an aspiring or
experienced collector of Colombian coins should buy.

Reviewed by David B. Fiero.

* * *

EXPOSING STAMPS OF ANOTHER COIN. By Gerald Hoberman. Published by the
South African Numismatic Society in association with Spink & Son Ltd. ,
London. Cape Town, 1993. Hard cover, with protective slip cover, 6
1/4 x 10 3/4 inches, xi pages, 34 pages, numerous sturniing color
photographs, printed on high quality glossy papier, with bibliography.
Available from Spink & Son Ltd., 5, 6, & 7 King Street, St. James,
London SW1Y 6QS, United Kingdom. Price is 15 pounds plus 3 pounds
postage and packing (6 pounds air carriage) .

Gerald Hoberman , a past president and fellow of the South African
Numismatic Society and a Fellow of the Royal Numismatic Society, is
already known to many numismatists for his earlier work, THE ART OF
GOINS AND THEIR HCTOCRAFHY. The present work, a publication devoted
to a wider presentation of an illustrated lecture which he first
presented to the South African Numismatic Society and the Royal
Philatelic Society in March 1993, is yet another tour de force.

The lecture which this work recreates was entitled, "Stamps of another
Coin," and constructed, as does EXPOSING STAMPS OF ANOTHER ODIN, a
delightful "bridge between contemporary society and the culture of the
Ancient world, through numismatic philately and photography." After
exploring the commonalities of coins and stamps (their utilitarian
origin, facilitation of commerce, amenability to propagandists
purposes, their artistic portrayals of national and religious
symbolism, et cetera) , Mr. Hoberman notes that over five hundred
postage stamps featuring coins have so far been issued throughout the
world. He thereupon presents the reader or, perhaps, more
appropriately, the viewer, with splendid photographic examples of coins
with corresponding stamps depicting similar coins. A wonderfully
patined silver Macedonian tetradrachm struck in Akanthos around 490
B.C. depicting a titanic struggle between a lion and bull is
juxtapositioned with an artistic rendering of a numismatic variant on
the same theme as presented on a 1975 190 franc stamp from Mali, and
so forth.

Numismatists and philatelists alike will be awed by the masterful
photography of their favorite subjects. The color photography
contained within this little book is a visual presentation of profound
impression. Superlatives fail to convey the extraordinary nature of
the photographs and, also, the exceptional quality of the color

95

printing of the photographs. Of special note is that the photographs
of the stamps are the handiwork of Mr. Hoberran's 12-year old son,
Marc.

The South African Numismatic Society has kindly donated a copy of this
work to the NI Library. I strongly urge any member with an
appreciation for numismatic photography, philately, or a well presented
story on the connection between the two, to purchase or borrow this
work.

Reviewed by Donald S. Yarab.

**********************************************************************

"FINKENAUGE or VINKENAUGE"

Finkenauge, or Vinkenauge, was the name that was given to a small silver coin which
was current in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Pommerania, etc., from the thirteenth to
the sixteenth century. In Pommeranian archives they are mentioned as early as 1279
as, "marca denariorum slavicalium," and they appear to have been last struck in Berlin
in 1562. They are also referred to as Wendische Pfennige, "parvi denarii slavicales,
or vincones".

Their value varied, but in all cases it seems to have gradually declined from the
original standard. Thus in Pommerania it ranged from eighteen to thirty-four to the
Bohemian Groschen, while in Mecklenburg from eighteen to twenty-four to the
Schilling, and in Brandenburg it was from sixteen to forty to the Groschen.

The etymology of the name Finkenauge is unclear. Some authorities claim that the
griffin on the issue of Mecklenburg was taken for a finch, the small bird, and Dr. F.
Friedensburg, in the Blatter fur MOnzfreunde , 1913, cites German proverbs showing
that a finch is frequently used to indicate comparisons between small and large
objects. Another plausible derivation is based on the belief that the Mecklenburg
coins were nicknamed "Ogen", from the large eyes of the ox. This combined with
the superior quality of the silver of these coins created the word Vienke Ogen .

(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)

***********^

ARROW HEAD MONEY

Arrow heads of stone or metal have been used by various primitive people as objects
of barter. Although they may be considered as primitive money, they cannot be
classed as coins. The American Indians and the Japanese used stone arrow heads for
purposes of exchange and the Chinese used bronze arrow points. Chinese
numismatists have sometimes included these in their works as coins. There is,
however, a specific instance of an inscribed bronze arrow point in the Korean series
that is known as Chun Pei.

96

(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)